In fact, as things stand it marks the best score for an MCU film since the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home at the end of 2021, while the current Metacritic score of 69 is also the highest since that film.
Our own RadioTimes.com review of the film awarded it four stars, praising the performance of Florence Pugh and the chemistry between the cast in what we described as an "emotional return to form" for the franchise.
The latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees the return of Pugh as Yelena Belova (Black Widow) and Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan Barnes (the Winter Soldier) as they lead an "unconventional team of antiheroes".
They are joined by returnees David Harbour (Red Guardian), Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster), Wyatt Russell (John Walker aka US Agent), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina 'Val' Allegra de Fontaine).
Before the full review embargo lifted, first reactions for the film had already been overwhelmingly positive, with critics calling it "one of the best MCU" films in a long time.
Emily Murray said the film has "so much spark" as it "tells a genuinely emotional story you connect with".
While Erik Voss said: "I think Thunderbolts* is the best Marvel movie since Avengers Endgame."
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Elsewhere, Jacob Fisher said the film is "truly fantastic", praising the cast for their "electric chemistry with each other".
"But most of all, the film's story hit me like a ton of bricks, it's bold, important and so well-written," he concluded.
The praise didn't stop there, with critic Chris Gallardo writing: "Thunderbolts: It was amazing, shocking and awesome in every way.
"Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman are absolutely stellar in this film and they're the highlights of the movie. Also, that asterisk reveal will surprise you and make sure to stick for both post credits."
Mia Pflüger noted that the movie's biggest strength is that "it understands the void". She wrote: "They all face their past, relive loss and traumatic experiences that shapes them all into the characters we come to know them as and grounds them immensely."
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